ZONING OF THE CITY TERRITORY BY THE LEVEL OF ATMOSPHERIC AIR POLLUTION BY NITROGEN OXIDES

The problem of building an ecologically clean city is considered, taking into account the basic principles of its construction, maintenance, zoning of ecological functions and, at the same time, the need to maintain sustainable development. Calculations of the concentration of emissions of nitrogen oxides in fourteen transport nodes - intersections of the main roads of the city were carried out, the dispersion of the distribution of impurities in the atmosphere was determined. On the basis of the criterion of the traffic intensity of vehicles, the zoning of the territory around the intersections of the main roads of the city was proposed according to the level of atmospheric air pollution with nitrogen oxides: safe zones, where the content of nitrogen oxides is less than the average daily maximum permissible concentrations (maximum allowable concentration = 0.04 mg/m3); zones of low safety, where the content of nitrogen oxides is less than the maximum one-time maximum permissible concentration (maximum allowable concentration = 0.4 mg/m3); hazardous zones, where the level is higher than the maximum allowable concentration, constant monitoring and special treatment facilities are needed. The calculation of the traffic intensity of vehicles, which is necessary to achieve the maximum allowable rate for nitrogen oxide emissions, and the ratio between the substances. Sanitary protection zones-territories around the main hubs, where nitrogen oxides have a harmful effect on the environment and human health, have been calculated. It was revealed that the predominant north-western direction of winds leads to an increase in the territory of pollution up to 850 m, if the highway has eight lanes. A conceptual model of the transition to clean air in urbanized areas is proposed, according to which, in fact, it is necessary to solve the problems of coexistence and protection: - a person who seeks to live comfortably, and comfort requires constant progress and at the same time preserving his health; - transport, which is associated with the need to quickly move goods and services, requires sustainable economic development and leads to climate change; - the environment, the state of which under anthropogenic influence is deteriorating against the background of intensification of natural disasters.

Underground waters in the territory of the Shchuchansky district in the Kurgan region and their ecological evaluation

More than 75 % of the drinking water demand in the territory of the former USSR is met by underground water reserves. Along with a serious approach to the pollution of surface waters, soils, atmospheric air, the ecological state of underground waters is given an unjustifiably small importance. The availability of fresh, environmentally friendly water in sufficient quantities is the basis for the life of both humans and all ecosystem participants. The current ecological situation in the Shchuchansky district in the Kurgan region is formed under the influence of numerous factors of natural and manmade origin. The purpose of the research was to assess the quality of underground water located on the territory of the Shchuchansky district in the Kurgan region. The theoretical material of the ecological state of the territory in the Shchuchansky district has been presented in the article. Descriptions of laboratory studies of underground water have been given, and sources of pollution have been indicated. The conducted evaluation of the quality of underground water according to hydrochemical indicators did not reveal the excess of permissible concentrations of pollutants. The underground waters of Chumlyak, Kolmakovo-Miasskoye and the town Shchuchye are more susceptible to pollution. The lowest content of chlorides and sulfates in wells and boreholes has been found in the Petrovskoye and in the Puktysh, nitrites and nitrates in the Nikitino, and ammonium nitrogen in the Naumovka. Studies of the concentrations of heavy metals in underground sources have been shown an increased iron content in them at the level of 1,1-1,6 maximum allowable concentration. The content of copper, zinc and manganese in underground waters did not exceed the maximum allowable concentration. The highest concentration of copper has been found in wells and boreholes in the Kolmakovo-Miasskoye, and manganese in boreholes in the town Shchuchye.

Occurrence of mycotoxins in selected agricultural and commercial products available in eastern Poland

The objective of this study was the estimation of the content of 13 mycotoxins (diacetoxyscirpenol, T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, nivalenol, deoxynivalenol, 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol, fusarenone X, aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin B2, aflatoxin G1, aflatoxin G2, ochratoxin A, and zearalenone) in various products from the eastern part of Poland. The content of mycotoxins in the analysed samples was assayed using the extraction method combined with HPLC-MS/MS analysis. We found mycotoxins in 25 of the 92 samples tested (27%). Contamination with mycotoxins was noted most frequently in samples of cereals – 56% – and also in samples of flour and cocoa, in which a content of mycotoxins was noted in 24 and 16% of the samples, respectively. The most frequently identified were the following – deoxynivalenol detected in 18 samples (72%), zearalenone detected in eight samples (32%), toxin HT-2 detected in four samples (16%), ochratoxin A identified in three samples (12%), and toxin T-2 detected in one sample (4%). In one analysed sample of mixed flour and in one analysed sample of wheat and rye flour, the maximum allowable concentration was exceeded in the case of two identified mycotoxins – deoxynivalenol (2,250 μg/kg) and ochratoxin A (15.6 and 17.1 μg/kg).

The productivity of the vetch and oat mix in crop rotation when using various fertilizer systems in the Vologda region

In 2017-2019, it was revealed that fertilizers provide 36 - 51% of the annual crops green mass yield, the collection of raw protein increases by 1.5 - 1.6 times. When N12 was introduced against the background of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, its content corresponded to 12.50%, and when the N75 was introduced, it increased to 13.6 - 13.7%. Takeaway for N, P, K increased with the use of N75P35K130-160 respectively by 1.5 - 1.6 times, by 40 and 80-90% compared to control. The content of NO3 in green mass increased with the use of fertilizers, amounted to 72 - 86% of the maximum allowable concentration. The doses of N75P35K130-160 fertilizers are 32 - 34 ton/ha of green mass in a vetch and oat mix and the more negative balance of the fertilizer elements investigated.

A Comparative Approach to a Series of Physico-Chemical Quality Indices Used in Assessing Water Quality in the Lower Danube

Water quality indices are suitable tools used for assessing water quality because of their capacity to reduce a large number of water quality indicators into one value which defines the water quality class. In this study, Water Quality Index (WQI), Water Pollution Index (WPI) and Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index (CCME-WQI) were applied in order to evaluate the seasonal and spatial variation of the water quality in the Romanian Lower Danube sector. Fourteen physico-chemical parameters, i.e., pH, DO, BOD5, COD, N-NH4+, N-NO3−, N-NO2−, N-total, P-total, SO42−, Cl−, Fe-total, Zn2+ and Cr-total, were monitored along the Danube course (on a distance of about 120 km), during the four seasons between the autumn of 2018 and the summer of 2019 in order to calculate the three indices mentioned above. Indices results showed that the water analysed was ranked into different water quality classes, although the same dataset was used. These differences were due to the contribution of each parameter taken into account in the calculation formula. Thus, the WQI scores were mostly influenced by those parameters whose maximum allowable concentration was low (e.g., heavy metals, N-NO2−), while the WPI and CCME-WQI scores were influenced by those parameters which exceeded the maximum allowable concentration (BOD5, DO, COD, N-NO3−, N-NO2−). Based on the WQI results, the water was ranked into quality classes II and III. WPI and CCME-WQI assessed water only in quality class II, with one exception in the case of CCME-WQI when water was ranked into quality class III. The temporal assessment identified the seasons in which the water quality was lower, namely summer and autumn. The variation of the indices values between the sampling stations demonstrates the existence of pollution sources in the study area. Moreover, the indices results illustrated the contribution of the main tributaries (Rivers Siret and Prut) to the Danube River water quality. The appropriate applicability of the three indices was also discussed in this study.

Determination of Heavy Metals and Pesticides in Different Types of Fish Samples Collected from Four Different Locations of Aegean and Marmara Sea

Heavy metals and pollutants cause serious damage to the ecological environment and accumulate in marine species in the seas. These pollutants and heavy metals accumulating in living species are a serious source of danger for human health. For this purpose, in this study, heavy metal (lead, mercury, copper, zinc, arsenic, cadmium, silver, manganese, and nickel) and pesticide (p-p′-DDE, α-BHC, endosulfan, endosulfan sulfate, endrin, aldrin, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, methoxychlor, p-p′-DDD, p-p′-DDT, β-BHC, cypermethrin, and dieldrin) analyses of four different fish species (Pomatomus saltatrix, Dicentrarchus labrax, Mugil cephalus, and Sparus aurata) collected from the Aegean and Marmara seas were carried out by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy and using an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer. We observed serious and remarkable arsenic, lead, and cadmium concentrations in the muscle meat of fish sample. p-p′-DDE and endosulfan were determined in every fish sample of each region. Heptachlor concentration was determined as 0.0598 μg/g in Dicentrarchus labrax sample from Marmara Sea, which is nearly nine thousand times more than the maximum allowable concentration of environmental quality standards biota of heptachlor listed in 2013/39/EU. The results show an indication of the significant health risks associated with the consumption of these contaminated fish in the Aegean and Marmara seas. In the Turkish food codex and in the 2013/39/EU directive, some heavy metals that do not have the maximum allowable concentration limits should be urgently indicated.

EXPERIMENTAL SUBSTANTIATION OF THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE CONCENTRATION OF DIOCTYL TEREPHTHALATE IN THE AIR OF THE WORKING AREA

Toxicity and hazard assessment of dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP) was performed in acute, subacute, and chronic experiments, and its principal toxicometry parameters were determined.It was found that on single exposure DOTP exhibits low toxicity and hazard. No resorptive and irritant effects on skin and mucous membrane of eyes were detected in animal experiments. The single inhalation exposure threshold limit value was set at 300 mg/m3, based on the results of monitoring of the functional state of the central nervous system and myocardium and hematological parameters.Thirty-day subacute experiments (oral administration, inhalation exposure, and skin applications) revealed no accumulation of the compound.Four-month chronic exposure to DOTP aerosols (concentration 96,8 mg/m3) caused disorder of the functional state of the central nervous system and myocardium, changes in the hematological and biochemical parameters, gas and acid-base status of the blood, and morphological changes in the lungs and heart. Embryotoxic, genotoxic and gonadotoxic effects were not detected.The chronic inhalation exposure threshold limit value for DOTP (Limch) was set at 18,6 mg/m3, and the concentration of 3,4 mg/m3 was found to be ineffective.The maximum allowable concentration of DOTP in the air of the working area was set at 3,0 mg/m3, hazard class 3.

Metals phytotoxicity assessment and phyto maximum allowable concentration

<p>In this paper, the influence of metals (Cd, Pb, Cu, Co, Ni, Zn) on plants of spring barley (<em>Hordeum vulgare</em> L.) was investigated in polluted sod podzolic sandy loam on layered glacial sands and calcareous deep chernozem on loamy loess soils. We propose to highlight the metals’ phytotoxicity with help of the phyto maximum allowable concentration. The Phyto Maximum Allowable Concentration is a permissible level of metals for plants in polluted soil and represents the safe degree for plants in contaminated ecosystem. The phyto maximum allowable concentration gives the possibility to estimate and to forecast the danger of metals for plants as a biological object that plays a very important role in the life of ecosystem. This approach may be applied for another metals phytotoxicity assessment for other plants.<em> </em></p>

Buta-1,3-diene. Documentation of proposed values of occupational exposure limits (OELs)

Buta-1,3-diene is a gas used in the production of thermoplastic resins, elastomers and synthetic rubber. Buta-1,3-diene is absorbed mainly in the respiratory tract and then metabolized to monoepoxide – 1,2-epoxybut-3-ene and diepoxide – 1.2:3,4 diepoxybutane, and after their conjugation with glutathione is excreted with urine. According to data from the Central Registry on Exposure to Substances, Mixtures, Agents or Carcinogenic or Mutagenic Technological Processes, in 2015 the number of people exposed to buta-1,3-diene in Poland was 958 and additionally about 200 were exposed to petroleum substances which carcinogenic effect is depending on the buta-1,3-diene. According to data from sanitary-epidemiological stations, in Poland in 2013 and 2016, there were no workers exposed to buta-1,3-diene at levels exceeding maximum allowable concentration (MAC) of 4.4 mg/m3. Buta-1,3-diene in small concentrations is a mild narcotic agent for humans, while for occupationally exposed workers it has irritating properties to the mucous membranes of the eyes and airways. Buta-1,3-diene is a substance with low acute toxicity to animals (LC50 value for rats is 270 000 mg/m3). This substance is mutagenic and genotoxic, it can cause damage to the genetic material of somatic and germ cells. It has been proved that buta-1,3-diene is carcinogenic for B6C3F1 mice and rats. There is also epidemiological evidence that occupational exposure to buta-1,3-diene is associated with the risk of a cancer of a lymphohematopoietic system. According to the IARC classification, buta-1,3-diene is included in group 1, i.e., carcinogenic substances for humans, and according to ACGIH classification to group A2, i.e., substances suspected to be carcinogenic for humans. In Europe, buta-1,3-diene is classified in Cat. 1A. carcinogens and Cat. 1B. mutagenic compounds. Buta-1,3-diene does not cause fertility disturbances, and its teratogenic effects appeared when doses were toxic to mothers only. In Directive 2017/2398 of the European Parliament and of Council (EU) 2017/2398 of 12 December 2017 amending Directive 2004/37/EC on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to carcinogens or mutagens at work for buta-1,3-diene, binding occupational exposure limit value (BOELV ) was at the level of 2.2 mg/m3 (Official Journal of the EU L 345 of 27/12/2017, p. 87). The directive will be in force in the EU Member States on January 17, 2020. It was proposed to adopt the value of the maximum allowable concentration (MAC) of the buta-1,3-diene at the level of 2.2 mg/m3 and the following values of the biological exposure indices (BEI):  1.6 mg of 1,2-dihydroxy-4-(N-acetyl-cystein-S-yl)butane/g creatinine in urine measured at the end of working shift  2.1 pmol/g Hb - hemoglobin adducts: mixture of N-[1-(hydroxymethyl)prop-2-enyl]valine and N (2-hydroxybut-3-enyl)valine in blood showing exposure for the last 120 days. This standard is additionally marked Carc. 1A – a substance with proven carcinogenic effect for humans and Muta. 1B – a substance that is considered mutagenic for humans. There is no evidence for establishing STEL value for buta-1,3-diene. The estimated additional risk of leukemia during the 40-year exposure to buta-1,3-diene at a concentration of 2.2 mg/m3 is 8×10-7, it is lower than the risk for the general population in Poland, which is 7.15×10-5.